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What You Need to Know Ahead of Darden Restaurants' Earnings Release
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Valued at a market cap of $23.9 billion, Darden Restaurants, Inc. (DRI) is a leading full-service restaurant company headquartered in Orlando, Florida. It operates thousands of restaurants under iconic brands such as Olive Garden, LongHorn Steakhouse, Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen, Yard House, The Capital Grille, Seasons 52, Eddie V’s, and Bahama Breeze. The company is scheduled to announce its fiscal Q1 earnings for 2026 on Thursday, Sept. 18.
Analysts project this restaurant company to report a profit of $1.99 per share in Q1, up 13.7% from $1.75 per share in the year-ago quarter. The company has missed Wall Street’s bottom-line estimates in three of the last four quarters, while exceeding on another occasion. Its earnings of $2.98 per share in the previous quarter outpaced the consensus estimates by a slight margin.
For the full year, analysts expect DRI to report EPS of $10.63, up 11.3% from $9.55 per share in fiscal 2025. Its EPS is expected to further grow 7.4% year-over-year (YoY) to $11.42 in fiscal 2027.
DRI has rallied 44.1% over the past 52 weeks, considerably outperforming both the S&P 500 Index's ($SPX) 18.3% return and the Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR Fund’s (XLY) 24.5% uptick over the same time frame.
Shares of DRI surged 1.4% on June 20, after its Q4 earnings release. The company's overall revenue advanced 10.6% YoY to $3.3 billion, with blended same-restaurant sales increasing by 4.6%. Its top-line figure came in line with the consensus estimates. Moreover, its adjusted EPS from continuing operations improved 12.5% annually to $2.98. Looking ahead to fiscal 2026, DRI expects sales growth of 7% to 8%, and anticipates adjusted EPS from continuing operations to be between $10.50 and $10.70.
Wall Street analysts are moderately optimistic about DRI stock, with an overall "Moderate Buy" rating. Among 28 analysts covering the stock, 16 recommend a "Strong Buy," two indicate a "Moderate Buy," and 10 advise a “Hold.” The mean price target for DRI is $234.64, indicating a 14.7% upside potential from the current levels.
On the date of publication, Neharika Jain did not have (either directly or indirectly) positions in any of the securities mentioned in this article. All information and data in this article is solely for informational purposes. For more information please view the Barchart Disclosure Policy here.